Coming into this bout, “Stun Gun” Kim had been making some waves in the UFC’s Welterweight division and was thought of as a fresh new face in a sea of contenders that have all lost to Welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre. Thanks to an overturned loss against Karo Parisyan, Kim was technically undefeated in the UFC and in MMA in general.

In the UFC, Kim had successfully defeated five opponents other than Parisyan. His most recent accomplishment heading into UFC 132 was a Unanimous Decision win over Nate Diaz. Kim controlled the fight for the entirety of the bout, although many fans criticized him for abusing “lay and pray” tactics throughout the encounter. In his fired-up post-fight interview, Kim spoke through a translator and made the bold claim of “My name is Stun Gun Kim and I want GSP”.

The somewhat-controversial win over Diaz coupled with those famous words turned Kim into a hot topic almost overnight. To capitalize on this new-found interest in the fighter, the UFC decided to put him up against Carlos Condit. A former WEC champion, Condit had been destroying people left and right after losing his UFC debut. Condit was also coming into UFC 132 on the heels of one of the biggest highlights of his career: a thunderous KO’ing of Dan Hardy, who had once challenged for the UFC Welterweight Championship and who had never been KO’d before in his entire career, which spanned over thirty fights.

In a famous pre-fight interview before UFC 132, Kim said that he felt that Carlos Condit was over-rated. When the cage doors closed, it turned out that Condit lives up to his hype.

For about three minutes, Condit and Kim tried to gauge each other and figure each other out while lightly engaging. Then, in a crazy “going for broke” move, Condit lashed out with a flying knee. It caught Kim straight on the chin, and “Stun Gun” was stunned and dropped. A series of fast lefts and rights further sent Kim into unconsciousness, giving Condit the KO win due to a flying knee and punches at 2:58 of Round 1.

It’s one thing to grind out a fight over a good fighter in order to keep yourself in the mix. It’s another thing entirely to think that it was a good enough performance to earn you a title shot. When Kim called out GSP, he was asking to be put in his place. When he called Condit over-rated, he was practically begging to be put in his place. And Condit was more than happy to oblige. Now Kim is an after-thought, just another boring wrestler in an MMA landscape that is unfortunately becoming filled with boring wrestlers.

For going from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and for quite literally writing checks with his mouth that his body couldn’t cash, Dong Hyun Kim is July 2011’s “Flop of the Month”.

MMA Mania gives us an interesting recap of the situation. In a nutshell, here’s how it all broke down: BJ Penn and Jon Fitch took to Twitter to try and organize a rematch, with both fighters agreeing to the bout. However, Penn would later update his Twitter with a message saying that he talked to Joe Silva, the matchmaker of the UFC, and that Silva said “the fans don’t want it” and that he wasn’t interested. After that, Penn and Carlos Condit then agreed to fight each other, once again over Twitter, and it appears that the UFC is definitely interested in that fight.

Both Jon Fitch and BJ Penn have been inactive since their fight at UFC 127, which saw the bout end in a Majority Draw. A rematch was expected to take place at UFC 132, but Fitch would pull out with an injury and Penn would also pull out shortly thereafter. Carlos Condit, meanwhile, recently knocked out Dong Hyun Kim in one of the best performances of his career.

I have to admit, I’m a little let down knowing that there probably won’t be a Penn/Fitch rematch for quite some time. Part of me also really doesn’t get why Joe Silva shot this fight down. I mean, it was a very close fight between two top Welterweights. Plus it was a draw. All the ingredients are there for an immediate rematch. Perhaps too much time has passed since their first bout? I’m not sure. Either way, I would’ve liked to see Penn/Fitch 2 and it’s unfortunate that that’s not going to happen in the immediate future.

I’ll say this, though: Carlos Condit vs. BJ Penn is definitely a worthy replacement. I think that sounds like a great fight on paper, especially given how amazing Carlos Condit has looked lately compared to how relatively tough of a time BJ Penn has been having lately.

The career of BJ Penn is filled with high and low periods, and this current one is definitely low. Penn went from being an unstoppable Lightweight to winning one of his last four bouts. There’s a long list of reasons and a pretty fierce debate on why Penn always seems to follow up dominant runs with humbling losses, but the plain fact of the matter is that he’s doing that right now.

And with that said, that leads me to believe that the chances of Carlos Condit winning this fight are at least fifty-fifty. Penn is an incredible fighter, sure, but he’s in one of his “cold” periods now. Meanwhile, Condit has been knocking out people left and right and has lost only once in his last thirteen fights.

In the end, I think this is going to be a great fight no matter who wins. It’s not Penn/Fitch 2, but it may just be better.

5. Melvin Guillard KO’ing Shane Roller

For the longest time, Melvin Guillard was an entertaining Lightweight fighter with a penchant for crazy finishes. Unfortunately, he was also generally perceived as a journeyman. At UFC 132, however, Guillard took another big step towards top-contender status when he laid out Shane Roller. Roller had never been stone-cold KO’d before, and he did take a lot of shots before he went down. But the end result was a highlight of the night: Roller stiffened up, in the “fighter’s crucifix”, and with Guillard giving us another outstanding finish in a division that’s known for decisions.

4. Rafael dos Anjos KO’ing George Sotiropoulos in under a minute.

Wow… who would’ve thought that Rafael dos Anjos of all people would KO George Sotiropoulos? It’s sad to see George fall from grace so harshly, and I didn’t like that dos Anjos gave George some unnecessary strikes after the initial KO. But it was one of the most unpredictable moments of a card that thrived on its unpredictability. And that’s why it deserves a spot on this list.

3. Chris Leben KO’ing Wanderlei Silva

We got what we were promised… two guys stepped into the Octagon and started throwing bombs, and then one guy went down. That’s what this fight was all about, that’s what everyone wanted to see, and that’s what we got. But it came at the cost of seeing one of MMA’s all-time greats unconscious on the canvas once again. If you’re a Leben fan, it made you practically ecstatic. If you’re a fan of Wanderlei, your heart sank about as low as it could go. It was one of those “best of times/worst of times” moments, and undoubtedly one we won’t soon forget.

2. Carlos Condit KTFO’ing Dong Hyun Kim.

I’ve rarely been this happy to see a high-level fighter get KTFO’d. I just couldn’t stand “Stun Gun” Kim coming into this fight, he seemed downright egotistical and he talked a whole lot about how he was not only better than Condit, but how he was better than virtually everybody else and how Condit was over-rated. To see him get put in his place made me so very happy that only one other finish outshone this one. Carlos Condit was my white knight in shining armor at UFC 132, and he delivered a stunning KO flurry that I won’t soon forget.

And my personal pick for the best moment of UFC 132 is…

1. Tito Ortiz nearly KO’ing and then submitting Ryan Bader.

This was just… wow. WOW. With his career on the line, with everyone picking against him… for one night, Tito Ortiz morphed into the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” of old. That’s the only way to describe how he took a young upstart, nearly knocked him out, and then choked him out in the very first round… before the fight was even two minutes old. Not even Jon Jones finished Ryan Bader in the first round. With an incredible “risen from the ashes” story behind it, there’s no doubt in my mind that Tito Ortiz’s victory over Ryan Bader was the best moment of UFC 132.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from UFC  132 “Cruz vs. Faber”.

Next for Melvin Guillard/Dennis Siver: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. These two have been tearing through the Lightweight charts recently, although Guillard gave the better performance at UFC 132. Then again, Siver was generally thought of as higher on the food chain than Guillard coming into UFC 132. With those two factors in mind, this fight makes perfect sense, and with both men’s styles, this would also be a wildly entertaining fight.

Next for Carlos Condit: If his huge win at UFC 132 fight didn’t earn Carlos Condit the next shot at the title, he’s only one fight away from doing so. There’s a host of potential high-level Welterweight fighters that Condit could face, but the one thing most of them have in common is that Georges St. Pierre has already beaten them. I say we roll the dice and simply make Condit the next championship contender once GSP and Nick Diaz get through fighting. With his penchant for amazing finishes and his long years as a veteran, I think it’s deserved.

Next for Ryan Bader: Coming into UFC 132, Bader was still generally thought of as a top-division fighter. With this loss, he’s been sent packing to the middle of the division. I think a very smart match-up to make would be to put Bader up against another fighter who’s trying to escape the mid-level after a long time spent as a journeyman. Luis Cane comes to mind.

Next for Tito Ortiz: Some breathing room… for the first time in a long time. Some of the power now lies in Ortiz’s hands, and I think we’re going to see him back in the Octagon soon. Perhaps a third and final showdown with Forrest Griffin? Maybe a rematch with Rashad Evans if he loses to Phil Davis? Either way, don’t expect Ortiz to get anything less than top-division talent for his next fight. He was put to the final test at UFC 132, and he succeeded. So while the rebirth has started, another war is also about to begin for Tito Ortiz.

Next for Wanderlei Silva: I honestly don’t know. Retirement maybe? Silva’s chin just can’t seem to hold up anymore. He’s lost a lot more than he’s won lately. If not now, I think Wanderlei’s retirement is only one or two more losses away. Whatever happens, I certainly wish him the best and I’ll follow him wherever he goes.

Next for Chris Leben: Leben is now more or less on the same ground he was on coming into his fight with Brian Stann. Leben just might be able to make a serious run, but it’s not certain. When you rebound from a humbling KO loss with a fantastic KO win, there are still some questions that linger. If he’s willing to wait that long, a great match-up for Leben would be the loser of the upcoming Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller fight.

Next for Urijah Faber: Faber won’t be going anywhere until he decides to retire. The UFC loves him, the UFC fans love him, and he continues to put on entertaining fights win or lose. As much as some people dislike it, expect Faber to keep getting a title shot every time he strings together two/three wins.

Next for Dominick Cruz: Whoever it is, they probably won’t beat him. Cruz is one of the most complete fighters out there, and that was clearly evident at UFC 132. The sky’s the limit for Dominick Cruz in the UFC.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Dominick Cruz defeats Uirjah Faber by Unanimous Decision . Chris Leben defeats Wanderlei Silva by KO (Punch) at 0:27 of Round 1. Dennis Siver defeats Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision. Tito Ortiz defeats Ryan Bader by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:56 of Round 1. Carlos Condit defeats Dong Hyun Kim by TKO (Strikes) at 2:58 of Round 1. Melvin Guillard defeats Shane Roller by KO (Punch) at 2:12 of Round 1. Rafael dos Anjos defeats George Sotiropoulos by KO (Punch) at 0:59 of Round 1. Brian Bowles defeats Takeya Mizugaki by Unanimous Decision. Aaron Simpson defeats Brad Tavares by Unanimous Decision. Anthony Njokuani defeats Andre Winner by Unanimous Decision. Jeff Hougland defeats Donny Walker by Unanimous Decision.

There’s so much I’d like to say about this event, so I guess I’ll just start from the beginning.

I really, really enjoyed the “UFC Prelims LIVE” fights for UFC 132, both on Facebook and on Spike TV. The Facebook fights kept going to a decision, but they were all very entertaining fights. Jeff Hougland and Donny Walker really impressed me, and I can’t remember the last time Anthony Njokuani looked that dominant. Add in some other interesting performances, and you’ve got a solid Facebook stream.

Then, of course, the Spike TV prelims came out and blasted everything on Facebook right out of the water. Despite the fact that he ended the fight with unnecessary strikes as the referee was pulling him off of his opponent, Rafael dos Anjos looked awesome against George Sotiropoulos. As a semi-fan of “G-Sot”, it’s really hard to see him take such an epic fall from grace. Melvin Guillard also looked amazing on Spike TV, and has now turned into a bonafide title contender.

And now we get to the epic Pay-Per-View card.

When it comes to the first fight of the night, all I can really say is this: I literally screamed myself hoarse shouting “YES! YES!” when Carlos Condit KTFO’d Dong Hyun Kim. That made my night, and it was the first fight of the card.

After that, I got to see Tito Ortiz utterly shock the world and demolish Ryan Bader, looking like the Tito Ortiz of old. That also made my night, since I’ve been an Ortiz semi-fan for quite some time. It’s too soon to say Tito is back, but I know that I can’t wait to see what he does in his next fight.

After that, Dennis Siver won a tough, semi-controversial fight against Matt Wiman. I personally think that Siver deserved the win, but I’d love to see a rematch.

As a fan of Wanderlei Silva, it broke my heart to see Chris Leben destroy him. But as a fan of fun fights, I’m very glad that this fight was as brutally amazing as it was hyped to be. I don’t know where Silva goes from here, but I wish him nothing but the best.

And in the main event, Dominick Cruz again proved that he’s the best in the world while simultaneously getting revenge on the only man that’s ever beaten him. It was a very tough fight and was pretty close, so I’d love to see a rematch for this fight as well.

Overall, this was one of the best MMA events of the year. UFC 132 had a little bit of everything for everyone, and it’s a night of fights I won’t soon forget.

5. Several good fights anchoring the “UFC Prelims LIVE” broadcasts on both Spike TV and Facebook.

The UFC is spoiling me. I freely admit it. For so long, we only got to see unaired preliminary fights on UFC DVDs or when the UFC needed to fill time on their Pay-Per-View broadcasts. But in the here and now, we get the opportunity to watch every single fight from virtually every single UFC card and it barely phases us anymore, it’s basically become an expected occurrence. But if the UFC ever took these preliminary fights away from me I’d inevitably spiral into an all-out temper tantrum and demand my free fights back. I’ll freely admit that as well. For the UFC 132 preliminaries, we’ll get a chance to see (for free!) names like Brian Bowles, George Sotiropoulos, Melvin Guillard, and more. The free prelims remain one of the biggest reasons to check out all the latest UFC events.

4. Can Dennis Siver rise above the tumultuous Lightweight scene and capture the next title shot that so many other fighters are pursuing?

Everyone wants a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship nowadays. What’s changed since the BJ Penn era is that there’s so many Lightweights deserving of a championship and that could prove a serious threat to the champion. One of those fighters just so happens to be Dennis Siver, and he’ll have a big chance to prove himself at UFC 132.

3. In a world where nearly every top-division Welterweight has felt bitter defeat at the hands of Georges St. Pierre, Carlos Condit and Dong Hyun Kim are new, interesting threats.

This is assuming that GSP gets past Nick Diaz, of course. And when (not if) Diaz beats GSP, the last thing the UFC needs to do is give Diaz all the old fighters that GSP dominated. Condit and “Stun Gun” Kim are two very different fighters, and they add an interesting dynamic to an always-crowded Welterweight top-contender scene. If this fight ends in stunning fashion, it’s not too far-fetched that the winner will become the next challenger to the UFC Welterweight Championship. With that kind of opportunity on the line, that should bring out the best in these two and give us one of the best fights of the night.

2. Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben… wow. It makes so much sense I have to wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner.

Stylistically, you can’t really imagine a more fitting opponent for Wanderlei Silva than Chris Leben. Leben has grown less one-dimensional with time, but he has been and always will be a brawling-based fighter. He loves taking two to give one, it’s a strategy that’s worked out well for him for the most part, even though his chin has been suspect as of late. With the way Silva’s chin has also become a bit suspect, there’s a chance that either fighter could end this fight in stunningly vicious fashion. And that’s a huge incentive to both check out this fight and the event in general.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 132 is…

1. Two of the best Bantamweights fighting today do battle in the main event, with a championship on the line and a bitter rivalry fueling both men.

Despite practically being the spokesperson for MMA fighters with laid-back attitudes, to this day Urijah Faber is not without his fair share of cynics. One of those men, Dominick Cruz, just so happens to be the UFC Bantamweight Champion. He also just so happens to be the man that Faber humbled so badly at Featherweight that the loss spurred Cruz’s original drop to Bantamweight. Despite his recent troubles, Faber seems to have found new life in a smaller weight class. It just so happens to be the class Cruz is reigning over with an iron fist. It’s always great when a big rivalry gets settled inside the Octagon, but when it’s this fierce of a rivalry between two fighters as good as Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, then that’s an absolute can’t-miss fight.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 132.

The man known as “Stun Gun” Kim is still technically undefeated at 14-0-1 (1). Kim has fought to a draw once, and a loss on his record was overturned and ruled a No Contest when it was revealed that his opponent, Karo Parisyan, tested positive for banned painkillers. Kim has fought six times in the UFC and only managed to finish an opponent in his UFC debut, fighting to a decision five times since then. Kim was a finisher in the DEEP promotion, though.

Most recently, Kim faced Nate Diaz in a match-up that had some controversy to it. Many accused Kim of utilizing “lay and pray” tactics, others say it was simply effective wrestling. Much has been made of Kim’s post-fight comment of “I want GSP.” He may not be getting Georges St. Pierre at UFC 132, but he’s certainly getting a handful when he steps into the Octagon against Carlos Condit.

Carlos Condit is currently on a three-fight win-streak with two (T)KO stoppages, and has won eleven of his last twelve fights. Even more remarkable, ten of those eleven wins have been stoppages.  This includes winning the WEC Welterweight Championship and defending it three times before making his UFC debut.  In his most-recent fight, Carlos Condit made some serious waves when he knocked out Dan Hardy, the brash Brit with powerful hands of his own.

Before their fight, Hardy had just got done challenging for the UFC Welterweight Championship. Even though that challenge was unsuccessful, Hardy gained a lot of fans due to his toughness and unwillingness to quit. Before the showdown with Condit, Hardy was a veteran of over thirty fights and had never been stopped due to strikes before. Condit would go on to catch Hardy with a vicious shot near the end of Round 1, properly KO’ing him and earning a “Knockout of the Night” bonus.

For this fight, I’ve made no secret of my stance as a Carlos Condit supporter. I just don’t like “Stun Gun” Kim. I think he does use “Lay and Pray” tactics, and I think he has no right to brag and demand title shots since he’s never faced a true top-caliber Welterweight. Condit is a former champion and has found firm ground to stand on in the UFC. He knows what works now, and what doesn’t. His first loss in the UFC and his following win by Split Decision were humbling experiences that he’s learned a whole lot from.

In this fight, I think it’ll go one of two ways. The first way, the one I’m going to hate to see happen if it does, involves Kim abusing the worst of the “lay and pray” system and just turtling up on top of Condit for three rounds. If he does that, this fight will prove once and for all that he’s a boring fighter, just another “lay and pray” wrestler working his way to the top by abusing the benefits of a broken judging system.

The other way, the one I hope happens, involves Kim trying to trade shots with Condit and getting knocked out. If Condit can crack the chin of a guy like Hardy, he can pulverize Kim’s. And that’s exactly what I hope he does.

And that ends day one of “A Closer Look at UFC 132”, fans and friends! Stay tuned, because tomorrow concludes the series and features both the co-main and main event fights.

Carlos Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion, has since risen to the top of the UFC ranks with highly entertaining performances that have put him on the short list of contenders in the 170-pound class. On the heels of a three-fight win streak, Condit was last seen inside the cage when he knocked out one-time title challenger Dan Hardy at UFC 120 in October of last year. Since then, Carlos was scheduled to face Chris Lytle at UFC 127 earlier this year, though bowed out due to injury.

Now healed up, Condit was originally campaigning for a bout with former champion BJ Penn, though the manic Hawaiian subsequently withdrew from his own position at UFC 132, however Carlos managed to find his way on the card, this time against Korean contender, Dong Hyun Kim.

UFC officials recently made the bout official, and it is expected to grace then main-card of the pay-per-view event which will be headlined by a bantamweight title tilt pitting champion Dominick Cruz against rival and fan-favorite Urijah Faber. UFC 132 takes place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

While Condit may be making more noise on his way towards the title shot, Kim has long been creeping his way towards the top, with his undefeated record as evidence of his hard work. In his last bout, “Stun Gun” squeaked out a decision win over perennial contender Nate Diaz at UFC 124. The Judo specialist proved effective with multiple takedowns, which in the end helped secure him the win, and helped extend a three-fight win streak. Currently, Dong has an overall UFC record of 5-0-1, with the lone blemish coming by way of “No-Contest” when a previous loss to Karo Parisyan was overturned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after “The Heat” was found to have tested positive for banned pain killers.

While Condit overall is as well-rounded as they come, his lone knack has been his inability to defend the takedown, though he has always made up for it with his more than adept Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

The one and only Sherdog brings word of the impending match-up, stating that the UFC recently confirmed the bout for UFC 132. UFC 132 is set to be headlined by UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz defending his championship against Urijah Faber. Other big matches slated for the card include Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader.

Carlos Condit is currently on a three-fight win-streak and has only lost one time since debuting in the UFC in 2009. The former WEC Champion, who never lost a single fight in the WEC, most recently gave former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Dan Hardy the first KO loss of Hardy’s career. Condit is 26-5 overall and has an impressive twelve wins by (T)KO and an equally-as-impressive thirteen wins by submission.

His opponent, “Stun Gun” Kim, is leading the charge for Korean-born fighters in the UFC. Kim has lost only once in the UFC, but that decision was overturned when his opponent (Karo Parisyan) failed a drug test. So, technically, Kim remains unbeaten both in the UFC and overall. Kim is coming off of three straight decision wins, his most-recent against Nate Diaz, brother to Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, at UFC 125 back in January of this year.

I’m definitely looking forward to this match, and to be bluntly honest, I’m hoping Condit tears “Stun Gun” apart. I’ve become increasingly dissatisfied with Kim’s style of fighting, to the point where I consider him a “Lay and Pray” fighter. Kim does have a great wrestling game, but like so many others accused of using this tactic, he never really seems to do much of anything other than avoid taking shots, clinching, taking his opponent down, and then holding the position.

In short: if “Stun Gun” isn’t a boring fighter yet, he’s certainly getting there rather quickly.

Case in point: his recent fight with Nate Diaz. It was very clear that Kim wanted nothing to do with Diaz’s striking and instead held him down for three rounds. Nate is at fault for not doing anything to prevent said takedowns, and I’ll be the first to admit that the Diaz brothers never really bother with learning takedown defense because of their Gracie-trained submission game. But rather than risk it all to finish the fight and get people talking, Kim seems increasingly focused on playing it safe and coasting to a decision.

I’m all for a tactical ground game, but I’m a fight fan. I want exciting fights.

And say what you will about Carlos Condit, but Carlos Condit is an exciting fighter. The man has won a decision once, one single time, in his entire career. That’s simply amazes me. Condit is on a great win-streak, and he’s only a few fights away from a title shot in my opinion. My early prediction is that “Stun Gun” gets stunned and TKO’d.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on this match-up?

After consecutive losses to current lightweight kingpin Frankie Edgar, Penn moved back to 170-pounds in order to complete a trilogy with rival Matt Hughes. And while the cards were stacked against him, Penn was able to knock out the resurgent UFC Hall of Famer, who at the time was riding a three-fight win streak heading into their final meeting.

Since the win, Penn has gone to a draw with consensus number two welterweight fighter Jon Fitch at UFC 127, and the two were expected to meet in a rematch to settle the score come UFC 132, however the American Kickboxing Academy protege has since bowed out of the bout due to injury. And while several fighters had begun campaigning to fight Penn in place of Fitch, namely Carlos Condit, the Hawaiian also has since suffered an injury which will keep him out of the pay-per-view event.

Recently, “The Prodigy” released a video which has since confirmed his removal from the highly anticipated July event, which has been one of the promotion’s highlight events.

Former WEC champion Carlos Condit had been lobbying for a bout with Penn, though nothing had materialized, and for good reason. Penn went on to detail that the shoulder injury that he has existed prior to his meeting with Fitch and the subsequent bout as well as gearing up for the rematch only made the shoulder worse, hence him withdrawing from the July event.

It looks like Penn will now hold out for the anticipated rematch with Fitch in the mean time, though nothing yet is set in stone. In the video, he goes on to mention Fitch and hopes that the two studs could meet in the immediate future, however if such is not the case, then Penn will be okay with seeking a different opponent.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the news? According to BJ, he will be resting the shoulder for 6-8 weeks and then will resume training once again, so he could very well be back in action by later this summer. Who would you like to see Penn step inside the cage with? Sound off in the comment section below.

Penn recently has bounced back from a disappointing two-fight losing skid in the lightweight division when he took on Matt Hughes last November in their rubber match, where heading into the bout both men had split victories.

In the end, BJ managed to knock out the UFC Hall of Famer in just seconds of the opening round. Next, Penn battled to a contentious and controversial majority draw against Jon Fitch at UFC 127 in Sydney Australia, where both men had their moments. The fans and media alike have been split on the decided victor of the bout, so the match was intended for an immediate rematch, however since then Fitch has suffered a shoulder injury in training.

Carlos Condit, the former WEC welterweight champion and budding UFC contender, is the one man who has been vocal about taking on the tall task in meeting with Penn come this July.

Condit was supposed to face then rising contender Chris Lytle at UFC 127 which took place in Sydney, Australia at the Acer Arena in February, however the Greg Jackson product suffered an injury in practice which has since been rehabilitated. Now, the former champ will hope to vie for a match-up with the famed Hawaiian fighter.

“To be honest with you, we’ve asked for that fight. We’ve put our name in the hat for that fight. I know Joe Silva’s hopefully going to try to make that fight. If B.J.’s healthy and can take that fight, hopefully he will”, said Malki Kawa, Condit’s manager, who recently spoke with MMAWeekly.com about the proposed bout.

However, the fight seems grim.

Since going to a draw with Fitch, Penn has expressed only interest in fighting Jon. At the time of the bout, Penn was noticeably upset about the outcome of the bout and even hinted towards potential retirement plans, if a bout with Fitch did not immediately materialize.

A fight with Condit and Penn will surely product fireworks and an immediate contender to the welterweight title, which will ring especially true in the case of Condit, whom would be a new face and welcomed addition to challenge for the welterweight crown, pending on the outcome of the Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields bout which will come to fruition at the end of the month.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the fight? Who would you lean towards–Condit or Penn? And do you think the winner of the bout should earn a title shot with a convincing win? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. Josh Koscheck

Koscheck did just suffer an ultra-deflating loss to Georges St. Pierre… but BJ Penn knows a little something about being dominated by GSP. Even with the loss, Koscheck is still one of the top fighters in the division. Plus, he’s Jon Fitch’s teammate. Koscheck and Fitch aren’t mirror images of each other, but they do share some similarities and I think this would be a pretty good match. The unknown status of Koscheck (he’s still healing from a broken orbital bone) is the only reason he’s not ranked higher on this list.

4. Amir Sadollah

At one time, Sadollah was thought to be the next big thing. That hype and mystique didn’t last. But in the here and now, Sadollah has won two straight fights and just got done dominating DaMarques Johnson. This would be a big step up for Sadollah, but it would finally prove whether or not he’ll ever live up to his potential. His Muay Thai looked crisper and quicker and deadlier than ever against Johnson, and it’s been quite some time since Penn has faced a striker like Sadollah. I think this fight would be a lot closer than most people think.

3. Dong-Hyun Kim

“My name is Stun Gun and I want GSP”. That’s what this fighter said after beating Nate Diaz earlier this year. I scoffed at this notion, but if Kim were to beat Penn he would definitely prove that he’s worthy of a title shot. Kim is a very strong, very interesting fighter that’s never been defeated, although he does have one draw and one overturned fight. This would be a clash of both styles and nations, and Kim’s powerful wrestling could pose some interesting threats to BJ Penn.

2. Carlos Condit

When Carlos Condit entered the UFC, he had won the WEC’s Welterweight Championship and defended it three times. After a deflating loss to Martin Kampmann, Condit is currently in the midst of a great three-fight win-streak, finishing his two most-recent fights with back-to-back (T)KO’s. Condit has arguably never looked better than in his last fight, where he crushed what up until then had been the iron chin of Dan Hardy. Condit is both ready and willing to fight Penn, so I say: if he wants it, let him fight.

But the number-one fighter I’d like to see BJ Penn fight is…

1. Anthony Johnson

I think this fight has the most potential for excellence of all the potential fights on this list. Anthony Johnson is a different breed of Welterweight: he’s got one of the biggest weight cuts in the business, and it leaves him with near-unstoppable power, especially when it comes to taking down his opponents. I think it would be very engaging to see what Penn could do against such a powerful and athletic wrestler, since that’s been one of his weaknesses for a long time. Can Johnson fully move up to main-event status? Or will Penn’s latest comeback fully right itself after the draw with Fitch? I’d love to find out.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Who would you like to see face Penn now that Fitch is out?

We head first to MMA Junkie for a status update on “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit. The report states that Condit has injured his knee while training for his upcoming bout, and that he should be out for at least a month. Condit is coming off of the biggest win in his UFC career to date, a thrilling KO over former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Dan Hardy. A former WEC Welterweight Champion (the last WEC Welterweight Champion, in fact), Condit is currently on a three-fight win-streak.

Next up is a report over at MMA Weekly that fills us in on who Lytle’s replacement opponent will be. According to their sources, Brian Ebersole has been selected as Condit’s replacement and will face Chris Lytle at UFC 127. This will be Ebersole’s debut with the UFC, and he carries a 46-14-1 record into the world’s largest and most competitive MMA organization. Ebersole is also on a seven-fight win-streak and hasn’t lost since September 2008.

With absolutely no disrespect meant to Chris Ebersole, who I’m sure is a talented veteran and will give Lytle a tough challenge, this replacement fight really doesn’t come close to Condit vs. Lytle. I really liked that fight, I thought it would almost-certainly steal the show and I also thought that it would be that one, big win Lytle has been chasing for a long time, the one that sets him up as a legitimate top-level athlete and a possible championship challenger.

I hate to think what might happen if Lytle were to lose this bout. Lytle himself recently admitted that he can’t keep starting over, and that’s pretty much what will happen if Ebersole manages to beat him. As I said at the start of the article, Chris Lytle was my original “dark horse favorite”, the fighter that I can’t help but root for each and every time I see him fight, so I really hope he wins this fight.

In the end, I’m disappointed that the fight with Condit had to be called off, but I’ve still got a lot of faith in Chris Lytle. Ebersole has lost a majority (nine of fourteen) of his fights by submission, and Lytle has pulled off several awesome submissions lately, so I think Lytle will probably win this bout. Ebersole’s veteran status should ensure a fun fight, but my money was on and stays on “Lights Out”.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on Condit’s withdrawal and/or Lytle’s replacement opponent?

In a new interview conducted by the folks over at MMA Junkie, Lytle recently shared the following sentiments: “When they say ‘whoever wins this fight gets a title shot’ – you ever notice how those fights are always boring? …They want to eke out a victory, and I don’t ever want to fight like that again… I don’t want to win the worst fight of my life. I’d rather fight the best fight of my life and lose… The way I see it, this might very well be my last [run at the title]… I don’t have time to keep starting over. I just can’t keep doing it.”

I’ve been a fan of Chris Lytle for a number of years now, and throughout that time, he’s never given me a reason to change my views. Inside the cage he fights to finish and has put together some amazing victories lately. Outside the cage he’s a consummate professional and fully deserving of his status as an MMA veteran. Not only do I hope Chris Lytle beats Carlos Condit, I hope he beats whoever else the UFC puts in front of him and finally gets a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship.

The alternative is quite grim. I really appreciate how frank Lytle is in admitting that he can’t keep starting over, and I’ll be equally as honest and frank and say that I don’t think Lytle’s career can afford another setback. Lytle will celebrate his twelfth year fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist in February, and this upcoming fight with Condit will take him one step closer to his twentieth performance inside the Octagon. Lytle simply can’t afford for his career to keep hitting the “reset” button. Even though I don’t like to admit it, I really do think that it’s “do or die” time for Chris Lytle.

Lytle will certainly have his hands full against Condit, who is an excellent striker and coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career. Condit is on a three-fight win-streak with two (T)KO victories, and hasn’t lost since 2009. And while Lytle has never been knocked out before (his two TKO losses were due to cuts), Dan Hardy was also a fighter that had never been knocked out before. Condit has the kind of power in his hands that is a threat to anyone, and he has enough experience competing against high-level competition to give anyone a run for their money.

So while it won’t be easy, I think Condit is a great test for Lytle and I also think that it’ll be a big step forward for “Lights Out” if Lytle is able to score the win. I’m a fan of both men, so I’m just glad we’re going to get what should be an awesome fight. But I’ve had my feet firmly in the Chris Lytle bandwagon for a number of years now, so with absolutely no disrespect meant towards Carlos Condit, I sincerely hope that Chris Lytle wins this fight dramatically, with a big KO or submission, and continues his march towards the championship.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on Lytle’s chances in this fight, and his chances as a championship contender in general?

Here’s what “The Natural Born Killer”, who most recently shocked the world and KO’d Dan Hardy at UFC 120 back in October, had to say in a recent interview with MMA Weekly: “I feel like I’m ready… I’ve got to put the wins together to get my place, and I think in one or two wins I should be there… I think no matter who I step in against there’s always doubt, there’s always the opportunity for them to knock you out cold and embarrass you, but you’ve just got to put that aside and put your best foot forward and go out there and fight your best fight…”

In his next fight, Condit will face another veteran MMA star that’s finally made his way up to top-division status. Condit is currently scheduled to face Chris Lytle at UFC 127 in February. Lytle is on a four-fight win-streak with two finishes, and just got done avenging a 2006 loss to Matt Serra.

I fully agree with Condit, I think he’s only a few victories away from getting a shot at the championship. When you’re a top-division star facing top-division athletes, you’re always only a few fights away from getting a shot at the gold. Condit will have his work cut out for him against Chris Lytle, though, and I’m not saying that just because I’m a big Chris Lytle fan. Make no mistake, I’m definitely saying that as a Chris Lytle fan, but that’s just not my only reason. Let’s all give credit where credit is due: Lytle has hit more than a few stumbling blocks in his many wars in the UFC, but he’s finally worked his way up to top-division status. Condit will face another iron-chinned striker at UFC 127, but the difference between Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle is the degree of striking: Lytle is an expert of the “sweet science” and is in fact a former champion in pro boxing with a 13-1 record.

But no matter who wins in February, I’m glad that the UFC Welterweight division continues to find itself new challengers for everyone’s favorite divisional kingpin, Georges St. Pierre. I’m one of those fans that think that a division is never truly “dead” no matter how dominant a champion is. Someone, somewhere will put it all together. It’s just a matter of time. Every BJ Penn has their Frank Edgar, every Fedor Emelianenko has their Fabricio Werdum, and yes, ever GSP has their Matt Serra. Will it be Carlos Condit that ends up beating the seemingly-unbeatable? Who can really say? Me, I’m just happy that he’s up for the task. It’s going to be very interesting to see what unfolds in the UFC’s Welterweight division in 2011, because if 2010 taught us anything, it’s that nothing is impossible.

So, what about you fans and friends? Will Carlos Condit end up dethroning GSP? Will it be someone else? Or will GSP end 2011 just as flawlessly as he did 2010?

MMA Weekly brings word from a huge Australian press conference where UFC Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik recently made the card official. While anything can happen between now and February, currently the card stands as follows: Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn, Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera, Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos, Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke, Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle, Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna, Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh, Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring, Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson, Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton, and Mark Hunt vs. TBA.

I’m looking forward to this card for several big reasons, and I honestly think it has the potential to be an early front-runner for the best UFC event of the year, perhaps even the best MMA event overall of 2011. First and foremost, I’m a massive fan of both Jon Fitch and BJ Penn and I can’t wait to see how their wildly different styles clash. Both men are amazing fighters and are coming off some big wins, and I think if Jon Fitch is able to pass this test, he’ll finally be given his long-awaited and long-overdue rematch with Georges St. Pierre.

I’m also looking forward to this card because I’m a big fan of Michael Bisping, and I think he’s going to KO Jorge Rivera. Rivera is an experienced veteran who’s on a good win-streak right now, but Bisping has always been hovering around top-division status and Rivera is clearly a middle-of-the-road somewhat-threat. Bisping has proven dangerous against top competition even if he’s lost to a few of them, so I think UFC 127 will be an important step for Bisping’s career as he grabs up another huge and convincing win.

I’m also a growing fan of George Sotiropoulos, and I think he’s definitely the next major threat at Lightweight. I was a bit hesitant to get behind him thanks to what I like to call the “Magic Submission Pants”, but his recent performances have proven that Sotiropolous is a great fighter no matter what he’s wearing. The clothes don’t make the man, Sotiropoulos could show up to an MMA event stark naked and probably still dominate his opponent… not that anyone would want him to, of course, I simply say this as a converted fan.

And finally, I’m a big fan of Chris Lytle. I’ve been a fan of his for quite some time, in the past, I’ve even said that my often-used and much-loved term “dark horse favorite” originated with Chris Lytle. If Lytle beats Condit he may finally step into the “promised land” and achieve top-division status. For someone who’s battled his way through the UFC for so many years, I can admit that it’d certainly be unexpected to see Chris Lytle finally emerge as a legitimate Welterweight contender in 2011. Unexpected… but certainly not impossible. So I’ll be pulling for “Lights Out” in a major way, and I wish him all the best.

So there you have it, fans and friends. For several reasons, UFC 127 is shaping up to be my can’t-miss event of the year. What about you? What are your early opinions on the card?

In a new YouTube video posted on the channel of MMA Canada, Hardy had this to say: “I think the most disappointing thing about that loss is that it was my own fault… I didn’t give him the respect that he deserved… Nothing’s going to change… I go in there to enjoy myself, and if I’m not having fun, then I know the fans aren’t having fun watching… So I’m always going to be chasing the knockout or even the submission… I would like to show that I’ve got a ground game and wrestling as well, but that’s not because I don’t want to be taking punches anymore. I’ll trade punches with anybody.”

Dan Hardy is nothing if not resilient. Like many other fans, “The Outlaw” earned my respect when he lost to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 back in March. Dan Hardy proved in that fight that he doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him, and that while he may be a cocky Brit through and through, he’s also got a tremendous amount of heart and resiliency. It doesn’t surprise me in the least bit that Dan Hardy promises to keep head-hunting despite the loss to Condit.

However, the following question must be asked: is that really the smartest thing to do? I admit that I feel like a bit of a buzzkill to bring this up, but the question is valid. If a fighter refuses to change, ultimately his opponents will hunt for the same openings that the last man to beat him exposed, and they’ll get those openings, because they’ll still be there. If Hardy keeps getting goaded into a reckless striking exchange, more and more fighters will look to counter-strike him and nail him with a big KO punch. I’m not saying that Hardy has to reinvent himself from the ground up, but sometimes change is a good thing. Even if what’s changing is Hardy’s very entertaining style.

Ultimately, I look forward to seeing how Dan Hardy comes back from the loss to Condit. I think Hardy has all the tools necessary to not only put a halt to this two-fight losing-streak, but to also work his way back up to the top of the division, avenge his loss to Condit, and maybe one day even fight for a championship again. While I wouldn’t call myself a sure-fire fan, I will say that I consider myself a Dan Hardy supporter. Love him or hate him, the man looks to entertain and more often than not delivers on that promise. He opens himself up more and more if he refuses to change, but it’s going to take quite a lot before we see Dan Hardy vanish from the UFC landscape.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your feelings on “The Outlaw”, and what do you see happening when he makes his return to the Octagon?

In his most recent performances, Condit has gone from potential ufc drop out to a viable contender in the title picture. After a close split-decision loss to Martin Kampmann and an equally close split-decision win over the talented Jake Ellenberger in his first two UFC performances, Condit has now come into his own.

After two hotly contested rounds against Rory MacDonald, a former lightweight and welterweight champion in the King of the Cage promotion, it looked like the Canadian stud was edging Carlos in the bout by the time the match reached the final round at UFC 115, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Coupled with his grit and his never say die attitude that has made him popular with the fan’s over the years, Condit returned with a vengeance in the final round, mounting the welterweight prospect and finishing him off with strikes for the TKO victory in the final round. The win reminded everyone why Carlos was thought to be a force to be reckoned within the 170-pound division, and in turn helped set up his most impressive performance to date.

In his last outing, “The Natural Born Killer” entered into hostile territory when he was pitted against former title challenger Dan Hardy at UFC 120, in London, England. The Brit didn’t take kindly to Condit, who had requested the bout with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, and promised a spectacular performance. While the bout’s conclusion was spectacular, it most likely wasn’t the outcome that “The Outlaw” had had in mind.

Condit was competitive on the feet with Hardy, who is known for his punching power and effective boxing skills, landing body kicks and leg kicks and some sharp jabs all throughout the round. The bout was swaying in the Greg Jackson fighter’s favor early, and in the final moments of the round, both welterweight’s uncorked a left hook, with Condit’s landing first. Hardy went crashing to the mat, a few additional blows later and Carlos was declared the victor, via knockout.

The win catapulted the 26-year-old back into the title hunt, and a resurgent Chris Lytle would now be penciled in for his next opponent.

After appearing on the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” where Chris was hand picked to be on the show in what was a special attraction for UFC veteran’s to return for a final shot at redemption and in turn earn an immediate title shot with the champion, Lytle won his way to the final’s against New Yorker Matt Serra. After a strategic, closely contested, boring fight turned in during the season’s finale, Serra was declared the winner. From there on out, Lytle promised to do anything but lay back and hope for a victory. If he wanted it, he would go after it, and the only way to do it was to get the finish, knockout or submission, even if it was at his own expense.

Since the finale, Lytle has gone 8-4 inside the octagon (with 5 of those victories coming by way of knockout or submission, and 7 of those 12 bouts earning either “Fight of the Night”, “Knockout of the Night”, or “Submission of the Night” honors), and is now riding a four-fight win streak within the promotion.

Most recently, Lytle got a taste of revenge when he was able to defeat Serra in a rematch at UFC 119 in front of an adoring hometown crowd in Indianapolis, Ind. Chris thoroughly dominated the former champion for all three rounds, and was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Now on the upswing of his career the winner between Lytle and Condit could most definitely be in line for the next shot at the UFC welterweight title, after Jake Shields meets the winner of the Georges St. Pierre vs Josh Koscheck match up at UFC 124, this December.

Lytle vs Condit is reportedly scheduled for an as of yet announced show on February 27, following UFC 126 which takes place on February 5. This, is all according to MMAJunkie.com.

UPDATE: The bout is said to be taking place in Australia, however nothing is official as of yet.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the welterweight match up? Two adept strikers and skilled grapplers should make for an entertaining bout overall. How do you think hold’s the advantage? Is it the former champion or the wily veteran? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here are the highlights of an interview “The Natural Born Killer” did with MMA Weekly: “So far in my UFC career I haven’t been as dominating as I was in the past, so I was just trying to get back on track… I’m just showing people what they might have forgot… I feel like I’m coming into my prime now.  It’s now or never if I’m going to get that belt around my waist… I think [Jon] Fitch, that would be a great fight… I’d have to work my butt off, but I like a challenge.”

I have to admit, I was one of the ones that never really took notice of Carlos Condit in the UFC. It’s not a decision I particularly regret, it is what it is. But the fact is that Condit stood up and made me take notice when he nearly knocked Dan Hardy’s head off of his shoulders. I along with many can appreciate a good KO, and that stands out as one of the best of the year. I think the time for doubt is over: Carlos Condit has arrived as a certifiable contender in the welterweight division.

In regards to a fight with Jon Fitch, that’s a fight I would really enjoy seeing and I think both men would offer up a lot in this fight. Condit has a lot of punching power, but Fitch is another fighter that seems to have an impenetrable chin. I honestly don’t think Condit would be able to KO Fitch, Fitch wouldn’t get into the kind of striking exchanges that would give Condit the chance to. The best Condit could do, at least as far as I see the fight going, would be to catch Fitch coming in for a takedown, scoring an uppercut in order to daze him and get the TKO victory.

But if it ever goes to the ground, and you’re a fool if you think a Jon Fitch fight won’t spend time on the ground, then Jon Fitch eats Carlos Condit alive every single second. Jon Fitch has shown outright disdain for his opponent’s takedown defense or submission abilities; it’s gotten to the point where he can virtually get anybody to the ground and dominate them no matter what kind of weight/power/submission advantage they have over him. Fitch would once again grind out the Unanimous Decision by completely nullifying Condit’s best assets, forcing Condit to fight his fight, and remaining active on the ground with his “beautifully ugly” ground game.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Carlos Condit. I think he has a bright future in the UFC, and that he’s definitely ready for top-division athletes. But Jon Fitch is simply a horrible match-up for Carlos Condit. I’d much rather see Condit face a gifted striker like Thiago Alves or Chris Lytle, rather than a dominant wrestler like Jon Fitch. Despite his flashes of brilliance, I think the ground game will be Condit’s Achilles Heel in the UFC. I could be wrong, I’ve been proven wrong plenty of times before, but I think it’s a safe bet to say that Condit has a good ground game that simply pales in comparison to some of the other ground games in the UFC.

But what about you, fans and friends? Who would you like to see Condit face next, and what do you think his chances are against a top-division wrestler in the UFC?

According to MMAWeekly, UFC 120’s prime-time tape-delayed showing on Spike TV was watched by an average of 1.9 million fight fans. The report also lists some humbling figures when compared to this event: both UFC 105 and 95, two other British cards shown via tape-delay in the UFC, out-performed this event considerably. 95 had an average of 2.4 million viewers, while 105 saw a big 2.9 million viewers tune in to see Randy Couture take on Brandon Vera.

And in a case of the UFC perhaps being too over-zealous, all twenty UFC 120 performers were handed medical suspensions after the bout according to Sherdog. The UFC controls fighter suspensions from British cards since Britain lacks an athletic commission of the kind that oversees UFC events and handles things like these. The shortest suspension was for only 14 days, with several of those being handed out. Several fighters were suspended for thirty and forty-five days. The report also states that Mike Pyle, Travis Browne, Cheick Kongo, and Rob Broughton have all been handed down six-month suspensions, pending various medical check-ups to properly diagnose the severity of some of the injuries they sustained at the event. Of course, just like normal athletic commission suspensions, these six-month suspensions will be reduced substantially if the fighters are medically cleared.

I’m a bit disheartened that “Bisping vs. Akiyama” under-performed, for the most part I enjoyed the show and was hoping that it would deliver in the ratings. I usually enjoy the UK shows a lot, they’ve got a great atmosphere and a lot of the fighters put on a good performance even if the actual Pay-Per-View card isn’t filled with top-name UFC talent. I suppose some of this could be blamed on the rampant spoilers that were posted online, with ESPN being the main culprit, but still, that kinda sweeps the pre-existing issue with this show under the rug. I think this event is further proof that UFC fans are a fickle bunch and want big stars to justify tuning in, even if the show is free.

In regards to the medical suspensions, I do think that the UFC is being a bit over-protective. However, ultimately that’s a good thing. The UFC is proving that when they’re in charge of taking care of their fighters, they can react accordingly and ensure that no one rushes back into training before their body is fully healed up. Most of the suspensions were brief, so I think the medical suspensions of UFC 120 would have basically flown under the radar had there not been the fact that everyone on the card got suspended.

Overall, I’m thinking UFC 120 was more of a success than a failure even with some lackluster ratings. The UFC once again raked in the green and were rolling in it by the time UFC 120 was over, based on the live attendance and gate attendance numbers. It may not have performed as well in the US, but still, it firmly established that the UK still wants as much UFC as they can get. And in the grand scheme of the UFC’s rapid push for international expansion, that’s a very good thing.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of UFC 120’s ratings and medical suspensions?

Here are the highlights from a recent interview Hardy did with Fighters Only Magazine: “… I was ready for a good fight and I thought I was doing alright. I got caught sleeping, I got caught with my hand down. It’s the way it goes, that’s why it’s a sport… [Carlos Condit] caught me with a good shot and taught me a lesson. It’s a lesson I will take back to the gym and work on…I am gonna take a couple of weeks [off], I have got a few trips around the UK and then I am heading back to the US and back to the grind.”

Unlike a majority of Dan Hardy cynics, I don’t believe that “The Outlaw” should call it a career following his first KO loss. I think it would be wise for Dan Hardy to temper his pre-fight verbal jousting from now on, sure. But I also have very little doubt that he won’t, and that we’ll continue to see more of the Dan Hardy we’ve all either come to love or love to hate. Hardy is a charismatic talker that can really get people interested in his fights due to his loud mouth and brash attitude. Getting humbled is just the risk you take when you’re a bad-boy, it comes with the territory.

I think the true test of Dan Hardy’s character will come in 2011. In addition to being his first KO, the loss to Condit marked the second time in Hardy’s six-year career that he’s been faced with a two-fight losing-streak. It’s up to Hardy to prove himself once again, break the streak, and re-assert himself in the increasingly-crowded UFC welterweight division. How he does so is up to him, but I strongly suspect that 2011 will either see Dan Hardy’s triumphant rebirth or his swift descent down to the bottom of the pecking order and the bottom of the cards. There will be no middle-ground for the brash British bad-boy.

And at the end of the day, I’ll be pulling for Hardy. I may not like him all that much as a person, but I definitely respect him as a fighter and Mixed Martial Artist. And without trying to dredge up the whole “wrestling in MMA” debate again, I’d just like to point out how Dan Hardy is a guy that finishes fights and always tries to entertain in a division that has become bloated with three-round Unanimous Decision wins courtesy of wrestling-based fighters. For those craving a lot of action, for those wanting some in-cage bang for their buck, Dan Hardy is of the increasingly rare breed of fighter that delivers it time and time again. So I wish him the best and look forward to seeing how he handles his comeback.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds for Dan Hardy, and do you see himself getting back into title contention in 2011 or fizzling out and quickly being moved down the rankings?

And lo and behold, he said yes.  Well kind of, anyway.

“We haven’t discussed it very much,” Condit said, according to an MMAFighting.com article, “but I think it would be foolish of me to turn down an opportunity like that.”

Come on, do you even need to hear any more to know that UFC president Dana White was happy about the news?  He’s constantly hearing the reverse.  In fact, a couple of Condit’s teammates- Rashad Evans and Keith Jardine- are of the competitors being referred to here.  The two training partners/friends once shared the heralded status of being light heavyweight contenders- now only Evans is- but publicly refused to fight one another if the opportunity ever presented itself.  

Can’t blame them.  After all, how many football players out there want to play their teammates?  Not many.  And fighting is far more personal due to its individuality and the nature of what is being done in the Octagon.   Training partners are like brothers, for crying out loud. 

That said, even if you totally understand the point that such fighters make, it’s still kind of refreshing to hear a different/truthful perspective on this from Condit.  He doesn’t look like the kind of guy that is ready to take a leap to the next weight class.  Thus, all roads to a title lead through Georges St. Pierre at 170 pounds right now.  If Condit were ever to fight his way up to a championship shot, he might never get a second try if he turned it down.  Therefore, what kind of a friend would Georges St. Pierre be if he didn’t give his teammate a shot when the time came?

Right now, despite Condit’s big win, he doesn’t deserve a shot at the title anyway; so this is a theoretical discussion.  But if he did, then it looks like he would want it.  Not right, not wrong.  Not better, not worse.  But a different take by Condit than many other MMA fighters out there today.

According to Sherdog, the UFC was able to draw 17,133 fans for UFC 120. According to the report, that number is big enough to crack the top ten list of the most-attended UFC events in UFC history, placing at number nine. The event also made in the area of 1.6 million pounds.

Also courtesy of Sherdog, here are the performance bonuses handed out after the event to the standout stars of UFC 120. Carlos Condit earned “Knockout of the Night” for his thunderous KO’ing of Dan Hardy, who had never been KO’d before. Preliminary fighter Paul Sass earned “Submission of the Night” for his win over Mark Holst. “Fight of the Night” went to the three-round war between Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama in the night’s main event. All four fighters were given $60,000 bonuses in addition to their awards.

I think all the ingredients were there for the UFC to deliver another sold-out house, and I’m glad to see that that’s just what they did at UFC 120. The UFC had it all: two big-name British stars, two up-and-coming British stars, and a long layoff from their last event in the UK. I think this show once again demonstrates the crazy drawing power Michael Bisping has in the UK. Love him or hate him, the man has become a boon to the UFC’s international expansion. Expect to see him stay at or near the main event for any and all UK UFC cards for quite some time.

Speaking of Michael Bisping, I wholeheartedly agree with him and his opponent getting the “Fight of the Night” award. Both Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama put on a great performance, and it was by far the night’s most competitive fight. Both men left it all out there in the Octagon, and I’m glad to see that their hard work was rewarded.

I also fully agree with Condit’s KO getting “Knockout of the Night”, I don’t think anything else even came close. In fact, that win was the highlight of the show for me. Honestly, who thought Condit had enough power in his hands to KO Dan Hardy? Hardy had displayed an awesome jaw in every fight beforehand. Condit needed a good win and he got a huge win, this is one KO that’s going onto his highlight reel and staying there forever.

Overall, UFC 120 was a good show and I’m glad it was a resounding success. And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC’s (and Michael Bisping’s) drawing power in the UK? And do you disagree with any of the “Of the Night” bonuses?

Next for James Wilks: If it weren’t for the fact that he won a season of “The Ultimate Fightter”, I’d say that James Wilks should begin worrying about whether or not he’ll still be a UFC fighter by 2012. But the UFC has given their TUF winners a lot of second chances, so I think Wilks will head back to the drawing board, get off the main card, and face a step down in competition. Look for Wilks’ next fight to be the opener to a “Fight Night Live” event or on the preliminaries of a PPV card.

Next for Travis Browne: Someone like Antoni Hardonk, a bottom-level UFC Heavyweight that Browne will look good against if he runs right through him. I hate to paint Hardonk in such a negative light, but Browne needs another stepping stone to erase his bad performance at UFC 120. He seemed right on the verge of KO’ing Kongo, but he never fully pulled the trigger. When Kongo started attacking his legs, Browne had no defense and it severely diminished his punching power. Browne is still a work-in-progress, he needs an opponent to reflect that.

Next for Cheick Kongo: Even with a Draw instead of a Loss on his record, I think this fight firmly establishes Cheick Kongo as a divisional gatekeeper. It honestly struck me as one of the worst performances he’s ever given in the UFC. His tentativeness after getting rocked was bad enough, but his blatant cheating was just inexcusable. Kongo needed a big win to remain relevant, what we got was further proof that he’s best used as a warm-up fight for surging Heavyweights with championship potential.

Next for John Hathaway: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: sometimes a rookie is just a rookie. This loss doesn’t prove that Hathaway was just hype. I still believe that John Hathaway has a bright future in the UFC. This is just a temporary stumbling block. I don’t have any idea who his next opponent might be, but I do think he’ll rebound with a big win. Hathaway has an incredible amount of potential, and while he didn’t realize much of it against Pyle, I think Hathaway’s next fight will firmly set him on the comeback trail.

Next for Carlos Condit: Somebody big, I’m thinking maybe Thiago Alves. Condit has earned his shot at another top-division talent with his thunderous KO of Hardy. I think this fight proved that Condit still has a lot left to give and a lot of gas left in his tank, and I don’t think it’s impossible for him to continue this epic comeback and even challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship before 2011 is over and done with.

Next for Dan Hardy: A mid-level talent looking to establish himself with a big win over a big name like Hardy. Now that “The Outlaw” has lost two straight, look for the UFC to put him in the role of a divisional gatekeeper in his next fight. If he loses again, he may find himself in an unemployment line. If he wins, it’ll be the first step on what I think will be a long road back to divisional relevancy.

Next for Yoshihiro Akiyama: If Akiyama loses again, he’s fired. Of that I have no doubt. Despite how popular he is, the man has consistently had problems with his cardio. I think Akiyama’s job will be in danger even if he wins his next fight, what “Sexyama” needs more than anything right now is to get a huge and incredibly dominant KO or submission on his record. The man is a great fighter that usually produces great fights, but even that isn’t enough to save your job in the UFC nowadays.

Next for Michael Bisping: He wants a rematch with Wanderlei Silva, I say give it to him. I think Bisping can beat Wanderlei Silva, even knock him out, if he just stays focused and isn’t forced into playing Wanderlei’s game. If Bisping can hit smarter and not harder, he can beat Wanderlei. If not Wanderlei, look for Bisping to receive another big name to once again see if he’s ready for top-division fighters.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. Now it’s your turn: what’s next for the winners and losers of UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”?

Michael Bisping defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama via Unanimous Decision, Carlos Condit defeats Dan Hardy via KO due to strikes at 4:27 of Round 1, Mike Pyle defeats John Hathaway via Unanimous Decision, Travis Browne and Cheick Kongo fight to a Draw (Kongo was deducted a point for holding Browne’s shorts), Claude Patrick defeats James Wilks via Unanimous Decision, Alexander Gustafsson defeats Cyrille Diabate via submission due to a Rear Naked Choke at 2:41 of Round 2, Rob Broughton defeats Vinicius Quieroz by submission due to a Rear Naked Choke at 1:43 of Round 3, Paul Sass defeats Mark Holst by submission due to a Triangle Choke at 4:45 of Round 1, Spencer Fisher defeats Curt Warburton by Unanimous Decision, and Fabio Maldonado defeats James McSweeney via TKO due to strikes at :48 seconds of Round 3.

I think UFC 120 had a bit of a slow start but really found its niche towards the end. Claude Patrick didn’t put on the performance of a lifetime in his win against James Wilks, but he did seem very dominant and I think he certainly has a bright future in the UFC now that he quite easily dispatched of an “Ultimate Fighter” winner.

However, the second Pay-Per-View fight was a huge black mark on the event. Cheick Kongo put on a downright horrendous performance and blatantly cheated in order to stave off the serious punching power of Travis Browne. Kongo’s knee strikes did sap Browne’s power and succeeded in leveling the playing field after Browne rocked Kongo early on in the fight, but those smartly-timed and very vicious strikes were overshadowed by Kongo constantly holding Browne’s shorts in order to land them. To be bluntly honest, I think both men wilted under pressure and I think dark times are ahead for both fighters.

While I’m sure nobody liked him due to his apparent mile-a-minute mouth leading up to the fight, I was very impressed by Mike Pyle and his downright domination of John Hathaway. In today’s UFC the whole “young gun vs. old warrior” type of fight tends to overwhelmingly favor the young, talented rookie, but sometimes no amount of pure talent can overcome years and years of hard-earned experience. John Hathaway is still jam-packed with potential, but sometimes a rookie is a rookie no matter what his future may hold.

Carlos Condit knocking out Dan Hardy was easily the highlight of the night for me. I think both men were a bit tentative in the early minutes, but they definitely started swinging for the fences and we definitely looked to have on awesome war on our hands. However, Condit simply caught Hardy at the right time, the right moment, and with the right punch. All the ingredients were there, and I think Condit’s stock rose considerably with this win. I think Dan Hardy is down but not out, although it will be interesting to see how his chin reacts to a hard shot going into the future now that Condit has proven that it’s not made of steel.

While Condit vs. Hardy was my favorite moment, Bisping vs. Akiyama was my favorite fight. Bisping’s cardio, heart, and determination once again pulled him through some scary moments in Round 1, to the point where I think Bisping decisively won the last two rounds of action. However, I think it’s very debatable that Bisping won Round 1. It was a very close round, but although I can kinda-sorta see why the judges seem to have believed that Bisping did enough at the end of the round to steal it, I personally had it 29-28 Bisping, with Akiyama winning Round 1.

Overall, I think this was a solid event and a very good UK card. I even think this would have been a good “Fight Night Live” card. It probably wasn’t good enough to be a UFC Pay-Per-View, but for the most part, I found myself consistently entertained. Other than Kongo/Browne I’ve got no major complaints. But what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of UFC 120?

James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick: Patrick may have more experience, more wins, and fewer losses, but Wilks is well within shouting distance of his record. I also think that Wilks has faced better competition, although I wouldn’t say that either man has ever been fully tested against a world-class athlete. I’m going to favor the TUF winner for this one, I think Wilks has a good future ahead of him in the UFC. Wilks will take a Unanimous Decision.

Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne: Much like every single fight Cheick Kongo has ever been in; this fight all depends on how quickly Browne puts him in a disadvantageous position. If Browne can dominate Kongo early and often, I think Kongo has a track record of ultimately wilting under pressure. I don’t see him getting knocked out or submitted (at least, not by Travis Browne), but I can see Browne taking a Unanimous Decision. But I think it’s far more likely that Kongo’s crisp striking and power punching will give him the KO in Round 1. Kongo is simply the more experienced striker, and while that experience proved to be null and void when he lost to Cain Velasquez, I think it will apply itself wholeheartedly against Travis Browne.

John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle: I honestly haven’t gotten too caught up in the apparent rivalry between these two, but I’m still picking John Hathaway to win with a blowout performance. I think Hathaway really set himself apart by beating Diego Sanchez at UFC 114, a win that extended his undefeated streak that’s lasted since the start of his career in 2006. Meanwhile, Mike Pyle is 2-2 inside the UFC, although I will say that he has faced worthwhile competition. Unless Pyle pulls off a crazy submission in Round 1, I think John Hathaway walks away from UFC 120 with another Unanimous Decision win on his record.

Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit: On paper, this has all the makings of a “Fight of the Night” fight. I think both men need and want wins very badly, so we’re going to see fireworks from the opening bell to the final second, if it lasts that long. And I honestly think it won’t- someone is getting finished in this fight. Neither man has ever been (T)KO’d before, and I’m thinking that will change once the dust from this fight settles. Condit is by far the more well-rounded fighter, but Hardy hits hard, won’t tap out, never gives up, and has been in there with the best and impressed. I’m picking Hardy to score a second-round (T)KO.

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama: I have to admit, it’s pretty much a toss-up at this point. Yet I’m still picking Michael Bisping, a pick I made over a month ago. I think Bisping isn’t given enough credit and is a good fighter with inklings of the fantastic. Akiyama is also a good fighter, but just hasn’t hit his stride in the UFC. Now that he’s not combating a year-long layoff, I think Akiyama will really hang in there for all three rounds and give us a great fight. But Bisping has more Octagon experience, better striking, and the hometown advantage. Still, it will be a very, very close fight. Look for Michael Bisping to take a Split Decision.

And that’s where I stand, fans and friends. But what about you? We’re down to the wire here, so it’s your last chance: who’ve you got winning and losing at UFC 120?

Michael Bisping (185) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (185), Dan Hardy (171) vs. Carlos Condit (170), John Hathaway (171) vs. Mike Pyle (170), Cheick Kongo (228) vs. Travis Browne (251), James Wilks (170) vs. Claude Patrick (171), Cyrille Diabate (204) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (204), Rob Broughton (257) vs. Vinicius Kappke de Quieroz (239), Paul Sass (155) vs. Mark Holst (155), Spencer Fisher (155) vs. Curt Warburton (154), and James McSweeney (205) vs. Fabio Maldonado (204).

I think it’s interesting to note that several fighters took advantage of the one-pound-over allowance, including Dan Hardy. One pound likely won’t make a bit of difference against someone as skilled as Carlos Condit, but Hardy always struck me as a rather lanky welterweight. He’s buff, sure, but he’s no Georges St. Pierre. Other than that, nothing of note seems to have occurred at the weigh-ins, and that’s a good thing more often than not.

While I can’t say it has me as excited as the next UFC event, UFC 121: “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”, I can say that I will most definitely be giving UFC 120 a watch. Some of the fights, both on the main card and the preliminary card, seem to be loaded with potential. I always enjoy watching Michael Bisping fight, win or lose he usually puts a lot of heart and determination into his performances. It’s true that he’s been very hit-or-miss in his UFC tenure, but I still think Bisping can be a force to be reckoned with if he can just find the right formula.

The same holds true for Dan Hardy, who I’m not that big of a fan of although he definitely earned my respect after his refusal to tap several times during his recent loss to current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Dan Hardy is also a fighter that produces a lot of entertaining fights, and with his rivalry with Condit reaching a fevered pitch, we’re almost guaranteed some excellent exchanges and a really enjoyable fight.

And to top it all off, we’ve even got Cheick Kongo, who always seems one step away from a title shot before he’s knocked back down in the rankings. Once again, I’m not a huge fan of the man but I am a fan of the way he fights. I’ll be the first to admit that the man is little more than a dying turtle if he’s put on his back, or in just about any disadvantageous position for that matter, but his striking has always looked good and he’s hung in there with some of the UFC’s best. It will be interesting to see if Cheick Kongo still has something left for the UFC’s elite, or if Travis Browne knocks Kongo down to gatekeeper status once and for all.

And that’s it on my end. Check back here tomorrow for my official “Picks and Predictions” post where I detail who I think will win the main card matches and why. But what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 120, and will you be tuning in to watch it?

Read on for questions 2-7…

2. How will Carlos Condit fight in the first round vs. Dan Hardy?  Why is this important? Because, “The Natural Born Killer” has been extremely slow to get going in his last two fights vs. Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, needing big comebacks to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.  Against Hardy, if he is slow to fire, he may never get his chance in the third round, instead falling prey to Hardy’s heavy hands.

3. Has Dan Hardy truly developed a sturdy takedown defense?  I am interested to see, not how good his wrestling and Jiu Jitsu have become once on the mat … I want to see if he has improved his takedown defense.  This is the most important element in his growth. No matter how good he gets on the ground, his bread and butter will always be his standup.  His long-term success requires he keep fights standing against all the great wrestlers he will face going forward.  He needs to stay on his feet to leverage his greatest asset.  Chuck Liddell is the best example of this.  He became a master at stopping takedowns to keep fights in his sweet spot.

4. Can Michael Bisping finally deliver a thrilling offensive performance from start to finish?  In his last several fights we have seen a tentative, strategic Bisping unable or unwilling to let all his artillery fly.  He needs to win, first, but then be exciting to capture back the idea that he is title contender worthy, provided he keeps winning.  UFC suits would love for him to thrill so they can leverage his UK fan base and keep growing “The Count” into an international star.

5. Will Yoshihiro Akiyama display the crisp and crunching standup weapons we saw in the first three minutes of his fight against Chris Leben?  This version of “Sexyama” should be able to dispatch the UK’s Michael Bisping.

6. Will Mike Pyle finally show the UFC a dominating performance?  Pyle has long been lauded as one of the more talented mixed martial artists in the game to those around the sport. He has been a core cog in team Randy Couture and a Couture MMA trainer in Las Vegas.  However, his UFC performances have been hot and cold.  He has impressive career wins against Jon Fitch, Dan Hornbuckle, Shonie Carter, and Matt Horwich, but has gone 2-2 in the UFC alternating wins and losses recently.  Yes he beat Fitch, and not only did he beat him way back in 2002, but is the only man to ever submit the UFC welterweight star.  I have a gut feeling on Pyle at UFC 120 that he is ready to let loose a decisive performance.

7. Has Cheick Kongo diversified his MMA tool kit?  Before losing to Cain Velasquez, Cheick Kongo had started 7-2 in the UFC and was on a three fight win streak and starting to be in title discussion.  But the losses to Velasquez and Frank Mir set him back into more of grizzled seasoned veteran role.  Can he start another run?  Has he evolved to a new level?  We shall see in his fight against Travis Browne.

While “The Natural Born Killer” is fighting opposite of England’s own Dan Hardy, the season three winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Bisping, has had some words to exchange with Condit as well.

While there were some early concerns with Carlos coming to the London for his 170-pound match with Hardy, as he was delayed for a day due to passport issues leaving from New York, the matter was resolved and the Greg Jackson fighter left just a day later.

Arriving just in time to get a verbal lashing from his fellow UFC competitors, of the English persuasion, Condit had earlier addressed some concerns coming into Hardy’s backyard and what he feels may be intangible advantages for Dan, which is what initially brought Bisping into the mix.

“I’d imagine that it would be tough to win a decision, but I’m not looking for a decision, I’m looking to finish”, said Condit after being asked if he thinks it would be more difficult to win in London (being Hardy’s backyard), during the pre-fight press conference held at the O2 Arena.

Bisping quickly interjected.

“Can I just say, I don’t know what he means ‘tough to win a decision’, I think we have American judges anyway, so that comment is irrelevant”, said Michael.

“These things piss me off when people say that. We win fights here because we win fights”.

“Well, I think the crowd is going to be obviously bias, and I think sometimes that judges are affected by that”, retorted Condit.

“Yes, but the judges aren’t, Hopefully the crowd don’t judge the fight’s”, said Bisping.

“It won’t even be an issue, hopefully”, said Carlos.

“It’s not even my fight”, exclaimed Michael to a crowd of laughs”.

“Dan, would you like to say something? Sorry Carlos.”

“I think you said it all there, Mike”, said Hardy, holding back a laugh.

“It has nothing to do with me. I better go home”, finished “The Count”.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of Bisping’s remarks? Is any of it founded? Should he be worrying about his own fight opposite of Yoshihiro Akiyama? You can view the tidbits yourself at UFC.com, regarding the remarks made at today’s pre-fight presser. Sound off in the comment section below.

“It was up to me, I would just stand on the Bud Light logo in the octagon and throw punches until he falls over. I am confident with my power and my chin.  If that is the way the fight goes, then I am all for it. But, I have been working on my wrestling and Jiu Jitsu.  Don’t be surprised if I take him down and put him to sleep.”

The ground game is an area UK fighters, in general, have been slow to pick up as MMA has evolved and is now dominated by high-level wrestlers.  Hardy, has learned from the GSP loss and the value of a strong ground game.

“It is something that will need constant improvement just the same as every area of my game … it is going to be a constant process I am going to be doing the rest of my career, but I am certainly looking forward to taking him down and choking him out.”

For Carlos Condit, the New Mexico fighter coming off a stunning 3^rd round comeback win over Canadian prodigy, Rory McDonald, calling out Hardy was a smart move and one that could pay big dividends.

“For one, Hardy has status in the UFC right now. He was the number one contender.  So, a win over him would catapult me up the rankings.  In addition to that he is the kind of fighter that I want to fight. He puts on exciting fights.  He comes to finish guys and I want to be exciting fights. I want to give fans a show.”

Talk is cheap, they say, in the pre fight hype silly season, but this affair has the potential for true fireworks given each fighters DNA wired to slug and engage opposed to disciplined tactics and coy strategy.  This is exactly the way Condit would want it, the “Natural Born Killer” wants a fight to be a fight.

“It ‘s called fighting, not called winning. Sometimes you are going to face adversity.  Some guys crumble and succumb to adversity and some guys thrive and it shows the kind of person the kind of fighter you are.

—

How one is not jacked for this battle is beyond me.  Who you got in Hardy v. Condit?

“This is just a bad fight for Condit… He hasn’t fought anyone like me yet. I can do everything he does, but much more effectively than him… I expect him to be aggressive and walk forward, but when I catch him with a clean shot I think he will either start to run away or go for a takedown. Calling me out was a bad choice… He has no range. I hit harder than him. I can outwork him on the feet. He won’t even have wrestling on me, as I am a totally different fighter now to what I was seven months ago… In my opinion, he is outside the Top 10 and he sees me as a way of getting into it… In both his last fights, he was lucky to come away with the win.”

Now this is the Dan Hardy that we’ve all come to love and hate. These are big, big words that are going to require a lot of backing up. Hardy was on a seven-fight win-streak before his main event spot at UFC 111, but his decisive loss to GSP got people thinking that he may not be ready for top-division talent even though “The Outlaw” is a veteran of over thirty professional MMA fights. However, the GSP loss also earned Hardy a massive amount of respect from many members of the MMA faithful, since he refused to give up on multiple occasions and fought hard until the final second.

However, Carlos Condit also has thirty fights on his record, and he’s also a very tough opponent. Condit was riding high on an eight-fight win-streak, including three successful defenses of his WEC Welterweight Championship, before losing a close Split Decision to Martin Kampmann. And as I’ve said time and time and time again, I wholeheartedly believe that there is no such thing as luck in Mixed Martial Arts. Condit’s skills is what led him to win his next two fights after losing to Kampmann, and I absolutely think that Condit will prove to be a tough challenge for the brash Brit.

However, I’m going to go ahead and pick Hardy to win this fight. I disagree with those that think that Hardy isn’t ready for the UFC’s best. Hardy just isn’t ready for GSP, plain and simple. I think Hardy can hold his own and even beat many of the best Welterweights in the UFC, and that includes wrestling-heavy stars like Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. Even if he doesn’t ultimately win those fights, I still think he’d put forth quite an effort. With his heart, experience, powerful fists, and the willingness to constantly update and modify his skillsets, Dan Hardy is definitely ready for the main stage even if the man has a massive ego.

I do think Condit will put up a fight, though, it won’t be a blowout by any stretch of the imagination. Condit wants this win just as much as Hardy, maybe even more. This encounter has “Fight of the Night” written all over it, and I can’t wait to see what happens.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Dan Hardy’s comments, and who do you see winning this fight?

Headlining the nights festivities will be former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida in a non-title bout, with a trilogy between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn being completed that night, serving as the co-main event of the evening.

Prior to these bouts, a pair of middleweights and 170-pound fighters will be in action as part of the Spike TV special, which will have the potential to reach 96.1 million people at home in these United States.

MMAJunkie.com has indicated that match ups between middleweights Mark Munoz vs Aaron Simpson, and Matt Brown vs Rory MacDonald, will serve as the two bouts selected for the Spike broadcast.

Munoz, a heavy handed wrestler is coming off the sting of his first defeat in the middleweight division, where he lost a close split-decision to top contender Yushin Okami. The Japanese star brought it to the former NCAA champion early and often, dropping Munoz on one occasion and stuffing all of his take down attempts. Mark hung tough, and even managed to wobble Okami to the ground and pressured him with his improved stand up arsenal. In the end it wasn’t enough, and Munoz saw a three-fight win streak snapped with the loss.

Aaron, meanwhile, is coming off a loss as well, his first as a professional mixed martial artist. A two-time NCAA champion in 96′ and 98′, became an assistant wrestling coach for Arizona State, where he initially compiled 110 victories for the university.

There, he coached the likes of UFC standouts CB Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and current UFC heavyweight number one contender, Cain Velasquez. Being bit by the biting bug, Aaron opened up to the idea of fighting as a living in 2007, and compiled a perfect 4-0 before joining the UFC. Going on to garner a three-fight win streak within the promotion, his run was snapped when Simpson met with Chris Leben at “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 finale, losing by TKO in the second round.

Both Rory MacDonald and Matt Brown are coming off losses as well. The Canadian shined though, in his bout against former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, last June at UFC 115. Arguably ahead on the score cards going into the third round after getting the better of the stand up against Condit, Rory was notably fatigued in the final round. Carlos was eventually able to work the fight to the floor, eventually mounting the former King of the Cage lightweight and welterweight champion, pounding him out for a TKO victory in waning moments of the fight. Prior to the loss, MacDonald made a successful debut into the organization with a first-round arm bar over fellow KOTC veteran Mike Guymon at “UFC Fight Night 20″ in January of this year.

Brown, however is feeling the sting of defeat well and hard. The former contender is coming on the heels of two consecutive losses, submissions at that, to standouts Ricardo Almedia and most recently current top contender Chris Lytle.

In the bout with Lytle at UFC 116, which was the second in the series, the two traded blows early, Brown effective on the feet, the welterweight battle found its way to the floor in the early stages of the second round. Both fighters were jockeying for position, and Lytle was eventually able to secure an arm, and completed the bout ends with an arm bar victory over Brown.

Prior to the losses to Ricardo and Chris, Brown was riding a three-fight win streak in the organization and four of his last five overall. However now on the cusp of his UFC career, this is a must-win situation for both Brown and MacDonald. A loss for either could spell pink slips, which can also be said of Munoz and Simpson.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the UFC 123 prelims? Worthy? Do you have any other bouts in mind as far as what you would rather see in place of said matches? Sound off in the comments section below.

1. Yes, Rousimar Palhares should know better.  Don’t stop fighting mid-round without referee assistance.  However, I still feel odd about Marquardt’s victory.  He did exactly what he should do and capitalize on his opponent’s mistake, but it just doesn’t feel right that Palhares felt genuinely “wronged,” albeit incorrectly, and consciously stopped fighting.  Marquardt was cleared of greasing and I am not saying he did anything wrong, but, in no way was Marquardt dominating and the fight was up for grabs.  Horrible mistake for Palhares and I don’t feel Marqaurdt is clearly the better fighter since this ended in such a clumsy, odd, bizarre, uncomfortable way.  Hopefully, Palhares gets back to winning ways and we see this fight again some day.

2. Charles Oliveira, 20, and Rory MacDonald, 21 …  two MMA stars that the UFC is going to hold on to with all they have.  Both are wildly talented and exciting.  Yes, MacDonald lost his last fight to Carlos Condit, but he looked great for two rounds at UFC 115.  As important as their skills and charisma, is their nationality and age.  Oliveira, Brazilian and MacDonald, Canadian.  The UFC is all about international expansion and these two studs can be counted on for years to come to produce wins, excitement, and box office/PPV returns.  The great MMA youth movement has begun!

3. Cole Miller looked great.  And, he added fuel to the anti-wrestling fire in MMA.  His post fight interview compared some wrestlers to NFL football teams running out the clock to protect a lead instead of going for a game ending score.  I can’t help but think the Nik Lentz win over Andre Winner at UFC 118 has sparked this growing discontent.  It fueled my editorial recently as well as the UFC’s Dan Hardy to rail against wrestlers for stalling and not engaging.

4. Jim Miller is rugged.  That word just kept coming to me as he was fighting.  No huge mistakes, forward pressure, durable, consistent, improving.  Sounds like another Jersey lightweight down the shore who now owns some pricey UFC hardware.

5. World Class MMA on Wednesday night for free is cash money.  I know Dana White makes more off the PPV shows, but getting the sport out there to all the fringe viewers and skeptics is what keeps this beast growing.  More Spike TV UFC events, please!

6. Does Chael Sonnen ever stopping running his mouth?  I have enjoyed his talk as much as anybody – but he seems always prepped with a quip to the point of annoyance now.  Spike TV camera’s showed him cage-side but never let him finish, as he seemed at the ready to launch into another rant.

7. When Spike TV shows a clearly taped interview from earlier in the day they should take down their “Live” bug on the upper left corner of the screen and have the host indicate, “earlier today we spoke with …”  Per the Mir and Cro Cop interviews.

8. Referee John Shorley must give a fighter five minutes to recover from a groin shot.  He was pushing Oliveira to start fighting when he was not ready after Escudero landed his low blow.

9. Ultimate Fighter nugget:  Andy Main won his fight to get in the house.  He is in the Jim Miller / AMA camp in Jersey.  Tough as nails from what I am told, and one to watch.

—

What were your big takeaways from the fights on Wednesday night?

Twitter: @john_moody

MMAWeekly and MMAJunkie have both been able to confirm the welterweight clash–which was originally reported by Sportsnet.ca.

The match up is what would be considered a definite early candidate for “Fight of the Night”, since both competitors have demonstrated vaunted technical prowess and aggressive approaches in every fight they enter.

MacDonald, a former King of the Cage champion in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions made his promotional debut at “UFC: Fight Night 20″ last January, against fellow KOTC veteran Michael Guymon, finishing him up with a first round arm bar.

His following performance, a loss to the aforementioned Condit at UFC 115 in Vancouver, opened up a lot of eyes, even in a losing effort–Rory was able to impress.

Now he meets wild man, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. After running a three-fight win streak after appearing in the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Brown hit road blocks in division standouts Ricardo Almedia and then Chris Lytle most recently at UFC 116 in Matt’s last appearance, where he lost via arm bar.

It’s likely due or die for both competitors, as two in row can signal the end for nearly any fighter in the UFC, and three is an almost guarantee pink slip for Brown.

So, who do you think prevails in this scrappy, welterweight match?

Here are my top 10 fighters who succeed when the fight becomes a brawl.

10. Sam Stout: While Stout showed more consistency in his last win over Jeremey Stephens, he made his name in two epic slugfests with Spencer Fisher where each showed disregard for personal health and let the leather fly. Under the sound guidance of trainer Shawn Tompkins, his stand-up game is more and more refined. However, in his back pocket, Stout always carries his true MMA DNA, which is waiting to emerge when needed and pull a win from the edge of defeat by taking a structured fight into the gutter to make a measured fight a brawl.

9. Carlos Condit: Condit’s last two UFC wins over Jake Ellenberger and especially Rory McDonald exposed to the world his genius for reversing a losing situation late in the contest when each fighters textbook form is long gone and all that is left is dripping blood, burning lungs, and a dwindling time clock.  As McDonald lost his shine in round three, Condit found a way to rock the heralded Canadian, put him on his back, and drop the leather and elbows.  McDonald, who entered round three comfortably ahead, learned a painful lesson of how Carlos Condit works best when things look the worst.

8. Roger Huerta: I almost think the more Huerta tries to diversify his skill set the less effective he becomes.  This guy is a grit fighter Hall of Famer, and does his best in unstructured brawls where it is a matter of will and guts.  Nobody may have more guts than Huerta givin his remarkable journey in childhood.  His UFC 69 win over Leonard Garcia is Huerta’s perfect fight – where he simply needs to be a survivalist and let his hands go.  The more technical a fight gets, the less it is to his advantage.

7.  Chris Lytle: Ever since Lytle lost to Matt Serra in the finals of the Ultimate Fighter in a very lackluster fight, he pledged to let it all hang out in the cage every time.  It is never boring when Lytle fights and until his last two submission wins, fans could bank on Lytle loading up on his right hand to move a fight from neutral or negative to his advantage with a furious stand-up game.  Most opponents strategize to stay out range with Lytle, but as the gas tank empties, the Indianapolis firefighter usually finds the range and turns the fight into a brawl.

6.  Stephan Bonnar: It was in his last win over Krzysztof Soszynski that Bonnar got the #6 spot in this article …  by pushing the match into his comfort zone – a messy bloody scrum – to finish the fight.  Early in the second round Bonner was behind, but as The Polish Experiment faded slightly, Bonnar unloaded his entire arsenal to capture the win.   Aside:  Fatigue is critical in allowing the “inner brawler” to emerge.  With fatigue, the edge comes off and a fighter’s most natural fighting style steps forward.

5. Chris Leben: Leben would have been higher on this list if he had not showed such an evolved game in his last win over Akiyama.  However, rest assured, in at least one point of every Leben fight he will push the fight into a sloppy, swinging affair that always benefits “The Crippler.”  Leben often looks least effective early in the first round, but as opponents slow and they start to question their own game plan, he turns the fight from a thinking affair to a brawl and slugging war … and right into his sweet spot.

4. Chan Sung Jung (Korean Zombie): The Zombie has garnered near legend status with MMA fans off just one fight on American TV against Leonard Garcia.  I had him winning the slugfest, but was absolutely fascinated with his utter disregard to pursue any sort of pace or game plan for this fight.  He simply walked forward and looked to throw the hardest punch possible at every moment possible.  Fascinating for the drama of this style, but also for the conscious disregard for never trying to structure the fight in any way.  In this age of Greg Jackson/GSP game plans, it was strangely refreshing.

3. Leonard Garcia: Garcia first gained awareness in his battle against Roger Huerta at UFC 69 as fans ate up the back and forth war.  What makes Garcia unique is that he seems to utterly relish standing in the pocket throwing bombs with no regard for taking punishment.  His legend status (for me) was sealed in the epic battle with The Korean Zombie in what should be fight of the year 2010.  I will cancel appointments, turn off the phone, and basically stop time to watch Garcia fight.

2. Wanderlei Silva: He is the legend, the godfather of this style of fighting.  A man who has thrived the most when the fight may look the worst from a technical standpoint.  While he has added skills to his tool box in recent years, Silva will always find his cage home in the moments when a fight becomes unhinged from structure and the fighters could as easily be brawling in a parking lot instead of in front of 20,000 fans.

1. Scott Smith: Never have I felt more secure that a hurt fighter would win a fight as when Scott Smith appears nearly unconscious.  From the moment he pulled victory from sure defeat against Pete Sell at the Ultimate Fighter-4 in 2006, Smith has made a good living absorbing way to much punishment and finding a fifth gear to out slug opponents who likely felt they were in total control of the fight.  Smith was virtually finished against Benji Radach and Cung Le-1 before he gathered himself and his right hand to turn a sure loss into a breathtaking win.

**While MMA has evolved in so many ways, and many like to tout (including myself) how technical this sport is, I contend, these types of fighters, engaged in these types of fights, is what really sells tickets.  It gets fans saying “can you believe that fight,” generates hysteria in the building, and ultimately helps MMA grow.

What are your thoughts?  Who should be on or off this list?

In round one, Ellenberger sat Condit down with a straight right after catching Condit’s leg kick, but Condit wrapped his guard around Ellenberger’s hips and walked his left leg up Ellenberger’s back into a semi-rubber guard to smother Ellenberger’s offense from top position.  Condit inched up the gate to his feet, but was staggered with another Ellenberger straight as Condit again threw a leg kick.  Ellenberger followed Condit to the cage and dropped Condit with a pair of hooks.

“I was seeing stars,” Condit admitted after the fight.

Ellenberger attempted a D’arce choke near the fence, but never threatened and decided to try his luck standing.  In the clinch, Condit landed a knee to Ellenberger’s head, but Condit was dropped for a third time.  Ellenberger pounced and attempted a guillotine which Condit rolled free from.

The pace slowed in round two as Ellenberger took Condit to the mat with a double leg takedown and Condit returned to rubber guard.  Condit worked to his feet only to pull guard into a guillotine choke.  But, Ellenberger defended and Condit transitioned to a Kimura on Ellenberger’s left arm.

In the third round, Ellenberger landed a right head kick that staggered Condit, who shot clumsily for a single leg.  Ellenberger countered with a guillotine.  But, Condit yanked his head free and passed to half mount to pound on Ellenberger.  Ellenberger lunged for a Condit leg to save himself from the pounding, but Condit switched to Ellenberger’s back and attempted an armbar.  Ellenberger rolled free of the armbar.

The win is former WEC champion Condit’s first in the Octagon.  After the fight, he said, “I’m just looking forward to see who Joe Silva puts in front of me next.”

Ellenberger told Fighters.com, “I’m stoked. It’s my time!” He called the former WEC champ Condit a “great opponent.”

Ellenberger knocked out Brazilian Top Team’s Marcelo Alfaia (6-5) in 42 seconds at Bellator 11 in Uncasville 12 June.

Condit lost a split decision to “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (15-2) in his UFC debut at Fight Night 18 in Nashville 1 April.

Lytle had to drop the fight Wednesday after tearing his ACL.

Ellenberger was originally scheduled to fight at Adrenaline IV in Omaha 18 September.

Condit will be training with WEC Lightweight Champion “Worm” Jamie Varner (15-3), the UFC’s “Doberman” CB Dollaway (7-1), and TUF 8’s “Darth” Ryan Bader (5-0).

Owner Trevor Lally said, “Carlos is a champion at heart.  He spars and trains like a champion, and we think Varner and Condit together will only help each fighter get better.”

Condit last fought at WEC 35 in August, successfully defending his belt by TKO’ing “Last Samurai” Hiromitsu Miura (6-5) in round four and extending his win streak to eight.

At 4:43 of round four, Condit touched – and, maybe that’s all too literal of a description – Miura with a knee to the noggin.

Miura’s body and heart gave in to a brutal back-and-forth battle.  He dove for Condit’s ankle, and that was it.  He had nothing left.

Several times, Condit could’ve similarly surrendered on the receiving end of clean punches from the one-time middleweight, but didn’t.

That’s why Condit is a champion and Miura isn’t, both tonight and in general.

However, before the fight Condit made clear that he didn’t feel like Miura should be on the other side of the cage from him.

Isn’t that always the preface to a brutal back-and-forth battle?

Condit sits on the precipice of the welterweight top ten; and, now, Miura sits on a 9-5 record.

Condit was dumped on the mat thrice in the first round alone, swept from the mount consistently, and tagged with clean power shots from Miura.

Should Miura have been such a challenge?  Untested at the top of the division, Condit’s “W” only exposed how far the rising star has to go.

“All American” Brian Stann (6-1) has still farther.

Stann didn’t so much collapse at the end of any particular strike from Steve Cantwell (6-1) as collapse at the end of all of them.

Cantwell won the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship by TKO at 4:01 of round two when Stann fell face first into the mat.

Both fighters were gassed at the second round’s opening bell after a first session fought in scintillating spurts and won by Stann on all three judges’ scored cards.

Cantwell sustained the pressure with a mixed bag of fists, knees, and feet while Stann withered.

Cantwell’s win was revenge for a 2007 TKO loss to Stann, but may be for naught as the WEC will knockout its 205-pound division before the end of this year.

Fighters.com speculates that the next time Stann fights it’ll be in the UFC’s middleweight division.

WEC Lightweight Champion “Worm” Jamie Varner (15-2) looked like he got hit by…well, a “Wrecking Ball” after a minute in the cage with Marcus Hicks (8-1).

Varner was slammed twice, nearly tapped in Hicks’s bread-and-butter guillotine, and couldn’t get a beat on the 5’7″ brawler standing-up.

“He kept taking me down.  I’ve never been taken down like that in MMA before,” Varner admitted after the fight.

But, one minute was about how long it took Varner to find his range.

Once Varner rattled Hicks with a knee as Hicks shot to dump Varner, it was all “Worm” digging holes in Hicks’s skull.

Varner unloaded a barrage that Hicks seemed to walk through until the final onslaught beginning with two knees square on Hicks’s jaw and three straight rights that finally left Hicks limp on the mat at 2:08 of round one.

“I’m sure I’ll see [Hicks] again,” Varner said after the TKO title defense.

Bantamweight Brian Bowles (6-0) fell “Angel of Death” Damacio Page (10-4) at 3:30 of round one in a guillotine choke cinched as Page hoisted Bowles for a slam.

Page stumbled with Bowles monkeyed around him holding the submission before rocking backwards and collapsing as he tapped out.

The fighters had exchanged evenly to begin the fight, Page taking his advantage standing while Bowles had nearly locked a guillotine on the mat early in the round.

“Fluke” Josh Grispi (9-1) tagged Micah Miller (9-2) with an overhand right to Miller’s temple that spiraled Miller to the mat.  Grispi closed the show with a pair of rights before referee Herb Dean stepped in to end the fight at :50 of round one.

Brock Larson (23-2-1) slobberknocked Carlo Prater (23-6-1) with a straight left and finished him off on the mat at :37 of round one.

Las Vegas favorite Blas Avena (3-2) wheeled lefts and rights at the cage, dropping opponent Dave Terrel (5-2), then leaving him slumped and eating clean shots until the referee stoppage 1:07 of the first round.

Lightweight Shane Roller (4-1) finally locked in a guillotine choke on his third attempt at 3:00 of the first round to tap “Maniac” Todd Moore (9-2).

Lightweight Mike Budnik (7-0) tapped Greg McIntyre (5-3) by triangle choke at 3:21 of round three.

Bantamweight Scott Jorgensen (5-2) won a unanimous decision over Kenji Osawa (13-8-2).

Everyone made weight, except for WEC lightweight title challenger “Wrecking Ball” Marcus Hicks (8-0), who needed an hour to drop one pound before stepping into the cage across from Champ “Worm” Jamie Varner (14-2).

Curiously, WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann (6-0) weighed 201 1/2 pounds, causing “Version 2.5″ Rory Singer (11-8) to shout from the crowd, “201!  What!?”

Stann’s opponent, Steve Cantwell (5-1), weighed-in at the 205-pound limit.

Refresh Fighters.com tonight for live coverage from The Joint in Las Vegas.

They are preparing for what could be Carlos’s hardest challenger yet versus Japanese welterweight Hiromitsu Miura (9-4) who disposed of Blas Avena (2-2) dramatically last March.

Fighters.com: Compared to all of the tough opponents you’ve already fought, what have you done different to train for Miura?

Carlos Condit: Well, I know he is a pretty well-versed striker and I have been working quite a bit on just sharpening up all my tools and stand-up game.  I’m looking forward to displaying some of my stand-up abilities and working to improve all aspects of my game.

Fighters.com: Being the complete fighter that you are, in your opinion, what gives you the edge in this fight other than having a more dominant style than Miura?

Carlos Condit: I feel I can finish this fight no matter where it goes. If we are standing, I feel I can hurt him and get the knockout.  If I am on my back, I can finish him like I’ve shown in the past; and, if I get on top of him, he is in big trouble.  I know I can finish this fight in a lot of different scenarios.

Fighters.com: How does “TV”, your long time coach and corner man, play a big role in your fight and fight preparation?

Carlos Condit:  Tom helps me go in to each fight with a cerebral approach, thinking about things on a tactical level and thinking of all possibilities.  Plus, really coming up with great game plans and air tight strategies for my fights; and, it has shown that his influence is what carries me through.

Fighters.com: Since you have dominated the WEC welterweight division, will you be looking to move the UFC to challenge the other top welterweights in the world?

Carlos Condit: No.  The WEC is my home they have been great to me.  I think that they are gonna try to get other tough challengers for my belt in the future.

Condit’s coach, “TV”, is right there to look around every corner to keep his champion at the top of his game.  Vaughn ensures Fighters.com that ”Carlos is aggressive by nature and he be throwing a lot of kicks and a lot of punches for 25 minutes if he has to.”

Vaugh added, “There are questions surrounding Carlos Condit, the top ten, and the UFC.  I want to make it clear that WEC is our home and the entire WEC staff has been a dream to work with.  The only fighter in the world right now is Hiromitsu Miura and we are taking him serious. As Carlos Condit continues to rise he will eventually fight the toughest in the division.  I am sure of that.  It is inevitable.”

UFC President Dana White said, “We are honored to send UFC and WEC fighters to visit the men and women of the United States Military. We are pleased to be giving back to such a great cause; many of our fighters have served in the military and understand what a great contribution our troops are making overseas.”

Among those who have previously visited the military are second-ranked heavyweight “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8), second-ranked middleweight “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3), “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1), and fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (42-7).

Along with sending fighters to visit various bases across the US and overseas, the UFC also staged an event, UFC: Fight Night 7, at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, that was open only to troops.

Condit has obliterated the 170-pound field since joining the WEC from Pancrase, winning four-straight, all by stoppage, three of the four in the first round.

In February, it took Condit just 3:48 to vanquish Brazilian Carlo Prater (22-6-1) in a guillotine choke before Condit’s hometown crowd in Albuquerque.

Miura has won two straight since losing his WEC debut by UD to Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked middleweight “Mayhem” Jason Miller (21-5).

In March, Miura knocked out Blas Avena (2-2) at 2:35 of round one.

The WEC also officially announced light heavyweight champion “All American” Brian Stann (6-0) will defend his title from Steve Cantwell (5-1) and lightweight champion “Worm” Jamie Varner (14-2) will be challenged by “Wrecking Ball” Marcus Hicks (8-0); but, Fighters.com readers already knew that…